


If You Keep Listening You Can Hear It For Miles

by LennyFace



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2018-10-11
Packaged: 2018-12-03 10:58:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11530779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LennyFace/pseuds/LennyFace
Summary: The routine was a tedious one : campus trip to the building, classes, lunches with kind but uninteresting classmates, classes again, a dull walk back to his small flat and an evening spent studying and playing video games over something he’d cooked himself.Repeat.Repeat for another two years.That was the plan before he met Aomine and Momoi.





	1. Where Aomine manages to save the day.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, I post a fic once a year so I thought I'd publish this long ass fic I'd kept hidden for nine months.  
> Everything's ready to be published except the last chapter and half ; let's cross fingers I'll have it neatly done and ready for y'all when the time comes.
> 
> Thanks to akhikosanada for betaing this fic with love and care, from the beginning, 'til the end
> 
> It's 38k long so far, we'll see how it turns out, the chapters keep on getting longer.
> 
> I'll update it once a week !
> 
> Comments and kudos always are appreciated ; have fun !

College life wasn’t as hard as it was made to believe; he sat there, half-assedly took down a few notes, prayed for a good soul to put their neatly written-down notes on the Facebook uni group and crossed his fingers to have an average grade on his finals. Another semester had started and he knew that it was exactly gonna look like the one he just went through. Day after day, he filled his head with stuff that probably wouldn’t be of any use in his professional life.

That’d be his two cents, but who was he to judge when he was stuck there on parental pressure; one he had to compromise with. He’d accepted going into this double cursus in order to gain access to the career he really wanted. Suffering three years of English and Law-related classes was one hell of a ride, but that meant a golden ticket to get back to the States and get into the reputed Chef formation he’d been dreaming of for a long time. He’d have to apply for a job and save up enough money to fund it, but it was a small fee in comparison to achieving his goal.

The routine was a tedious one : campus trip to the building, classes, lunches with kind but uninteresting classmates, classes again, a dull walk back to his small flat and an evening spent studying and playing video games over something he’d cooked himself. 

Repeat. 

Repeat for another two years.

The plan was a little more intricate than this, but it was simpler put this way, a nicer story for his acquaintances. In the meantime, he was more worried about going into mortal boredom to even think about much further than lunchtime. The teacher, an apathetic fifty-something with bags under his eyes was mumbling into his microphone with a feeble voice that made Kagami’s eyes slowly close, mildly against his will.

He groaned against his palms before using them to rub his face in an attempt to stay awake a little longer.

“Why are you even trying, man?”

The sudden lively voice spoken directly next to him made him jolt; an almost-unknown and most importantly self-righteous face was smirking at him.

“I mean, I’ve seen you for the past half hour and I didn’t even know one could fight so hard to not fall asleep, then indeed fall asleep and faceroll on his keyboard, before trying to hide his drooling mess like he was one damn good dude.”

He squinted his eyes at the guy, torn between morning murder intent - it didn’t matter if it was 11am, it still was morning to him - and embarrassment.  
He knew the man from seeing him at some parties, and from his reputation.  
He still had some toothpaste stuck at the corner of his mouth, looked like he hadn’t slept in centuries, and mostly, he had a Nintendo neatly placed in his hands; but that didn’t make Kagami forget who he was.  
He’d crossed his path in crowded rooms, filled with drunken people, bodies close. He clearly looked different in plain light, but it was the same man his classmates revered as a flirt master, and whom he’d seen lure girls in empty rooms, in different places.

“Surely you’re not going to lecture me…” He gauged him mockingly “...when you’re clearly not a goody two-shoes student, are you?”  
The other man laughed; it sounded more like the cavernous chuckle of a dude who was in the exact fucking same state as he was. 

“Listen my man, I’ve got some Awakening to complete in Hard Mode, without this fucking cheat where characters rise from their fucking graves when you’re dumb enough to let them die, so why don’t you close your neat little computer and take a real nap so you look less like a disoriented murderer on the loose?” He shot him an unfazed look before focusing on his console once again, as if he’d not just insulted Kagami who suddenly felt really, oh damn really full of energy.

“A what, you fucking piece of-” 

“Shut up.” He answered, not bothering looking up.

“No, you shut up!” He forcefully stuck his finger on the other’s shoulder, the movement and his not really discreet voice drawing the attention of the few students still awake around them.

“Hey, hey; no insult really intended here, ok? Just powernap your way out of this shit. See that blonde girl on the far right there, if your eyes aren’t too stuck with drowsiness?” He leant his head to the side, inviting Kagami to look that way. “She takes her notes dutifully and my girl Momoi is a good friend of hers so, just, ignore that dying man and let go.”

Seeing how satisfied he looked with his know-it-all answer as he continued playing, Kagami shot a look around the amphitheater : the front rows were struggling to follow the teacher but they bravely fought for the entirety of the rows behind who were all either sleeping, texting or browsing on their computers. 

Humming to himself, he closed his laptop and crossed his arms over it before finding a comfortable sleeping posture.

He woke up to a light tap on his shoulder, strands of navy hair waving before his eyes, before he realized it was the same guy from earlier. 

“Well then, farewell Sleeping Beauty.” Devilish grin on his face, he straightened up, still looking at him. “See ya next time for another breathtaking law class, right?” He shot him an amused wink, and stretched.  
Eyes still half opened, Kagami glanced at the shown expanse of skin: toned, dark, contrasting with his crisp white shirt; the redhead’s eyebrows involuntarily raising a little as he understood a little the man’s success. Completing the whole nice douche bundle, he slid his backpack on a single shoulder, smugly smiling as he turned around, getting out with the other students, as Kagami followed his silhouette until he couldn’t spot any kind of navy hair anymore.

Was the guy serious? He reeked of arrogance, smelled like nothing but trouble.

Shaking the remnants of his somnolence, he dragged himself to the cafeteria. His classmates had saved him a spot, already chatting about something when he made his way up to them, club sandwiches piled up on his tray. One of them looked up at him, unimpressed, but mostly used to the quantity of food he carried with him like a war trophy ; when he saw his face, he couldn’t hold back a comment.

“Damn, dude, look at yourself; the semester’s just ended and you already look like hell.”

“Don’t.” He lifted his finger to stop him. “Maybe I just need a little more time than y’all to recover the stamina needed to run two degrees at the same time, ok?”  
“Well, Kagami.” The guy seated in front of him took the time to swallow the bite he’d taken. “Double degree or not, you’re taking this week to rest and you, listen to me, you are coming with us the week after this one to Kise’s party.” The tone in his voice left no room for diplomacy or, better, plainly escaping.

Rolling his eyes as he tore his sandwich’s package open, he openly sighed, showing his disapproval.

“Of all the friends you’ve got for yourselves, you want me to go to Shiny Shiny’s sprinkles party?” 

They all looked at each other, as if it were a self-evident fact, growing more and more uneasy as no one spoke up. One finally gave in and stated that “You know, we thought it’d be a cool party for you since, you know… he’s got a ring on his left ear… or whatever…”

Deeply inhaling, he shoved the entirety of his second club sandwich in his mouth, the others watching him, a little scared. Once he was finished with it and soothed his irritation, he replied.

“First of all, it’s the right ear; second of all, that’s an antique from the eighties; third of all, anyone but Kise. Because even if, yes, I do not like girls, it doesn’t mean I am like him or his friends, and I’m not really looking forward to spending an entire evening with them.”

“No worries Kagami, it’s going to be a huge party; you won’t even have to see him.”

Literally looking for an escape, he scanned the room for any idea, eyes stopping for a second on the guy from this morning, looking like he was arguing with some pink-haired cute girl. 

There was no escape from this, was it? 

“I’ll try. But I’m bailing as soon as anyone is outwardly annoying.”

Shoulders hunched, a man had to accept defeat when he was faced with one.

“Deal, man; now, finish that winter stock you’ve bundled for yourself.” His friend fondly patted his back, knowing he’d made a great compromise to please his classmates, in exchange of some distraction from his insane timetable.

It’s not that Kagami was a grumpy or negative person, quite the contrary; it’s simply that pressure and loneliness had taken their toll on him. His classmates weren’t what you really could call friends; they weren’t the type of people you could call at two in the morning for example because your entire future depended on the scholarship you aimed for and for which every passing day was a battle for. Of course, he still had Tatsuya but timezones were tricky and they both had their own lives to run so it was always delicate to get in touch.

Classes went by in a blur, conscientiously taking notes, adding comments on the side of his files to remember asking for clarifications when he’d study for the finals. He’d blanked his mind, solely filled with his determination to get through these years, and, in a closer future, take some time for himself when the day was going to be over.

The stroll back to his place was a fairly quick trip from the university’s campus to their cheap rentable flats; it was a small walk that gave some time to Kagami to unwind a little, breathe and let the classes of the day behind. Once he’d closed the flat’s door, he left his bag directly next to it and aimed for the fridge, getting himself a quick snack before retreating into his room.

Starting his main computer, he checked the time and realized Tatsuya wouldn’t be up until a few hours, since he’d gone back to Los Angeles for his own degree while Kagami was still stuck between lectures on old literature and lethal legal speeches. 

They’d parted again after high school, Himuro going back to his parents’ home, joining a specialized degree where he’d have the opportunity to work on his programming skills in hopes of joining some big shot company in the Silicon Valley. Murasakibara had quickly followed behind, lazing around for a while before getting an apprenticeship in a bakery not far from their place. Since then, they’d seemed to blossom well and Kagami couldn’t even be jealous, he’d taken a safer and longer road, even though it was a rougher one.

Opening skype, he felt himself slowly shoot down the barriers he’d set up during the day, and unraveling his feelings, he typed a fairly pathetic message to his longtime friend, hoping to find some appeasement by reaching out to him.

“Hey bro, I know you’re waking up in a few hours but I wouldn’t mind a cheer up text when you’re awake enough. Got invited to some flashy guy’s party I don’t care about and I don’t know how much longer I’m gonna hold it together if I don’t find something to get me through these boring classes. Can’t you, idk, find a time machine and send me straight to a future where I cook nice stuff for cool LA dudes?”

Spinning his chair around a few times, he decided to launch Borderlands, kill some stuff for a while and clear his mind. Headphones on, the music of the game put a distance between the silence of the flat and him. It wasn’t that he didn’t like living alone, it just made him long for some real friends he could actually want to bring around and who wouldn’t live literal hours away.

There was something that had stopped shining in him, he was aware of it, but there was no one around him to shake him up and get him back to be anything else than a hollow replica of who he was supposed to be at his core: a cheerful and loud presence in everyone’s life.

Pushing his thoughts aside, he focused on enjoying the time he spent on the various planets he landed on, mechanically cleaning vast lands, advancing through trials and quests until he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. Going back to reality, he checked his clock, seeing that a couple hours had gone by, prompting him to start cooking dinner.

He opened the text while getting out all the ingredients he needed.

“ _Sorry bro, can’t hack you forward in time - yet - though I can talk if you want to. Rough time?_ ”

Taking the time to prepare everything, he set his meal to cook and sat on the edge of the counter, slouching a little as he typed down his reply.

“ _post finals/long way to go usual breakdown yknow, nothing to worry about; day by day is okay, but i could use some good pals around and not some cheap quarterback replicas._ ”

“ _Patience, my little friend. Can’t offer you any better for now, but I’m free for some game next week after I give back the game project due after the week-end._ ”

“ _fair enough; no need for urgent support until that damn party, tx bro_ ”

“ _Np np, take care ok? Call if in bad state._ ”

The quick exchange hadn’t given Kagami any miracle but any kind of real contact was much appreciated and so was the dish he was about to eat in front of some dumb show.

If anything, every other day of the week looked the same; you just had to swap the Law related classes to any English related other. At the end of it though, Kagami got himself sitting next to the guy from the other day, except he was the one sleeping as the ever boring teacher corrected their test at great lengths. He couldn’t even give him a hard shoulder as he himself was shooting Republic soldiers on Kamino with his droids, waiting for the man to give their papers back. Too tall for the space the benches gave them, he emerged from his slumber when the students’ ruffle intensified with the awaited copies finally being given back, craning his neck from side to side, rolling his shoulders, and forcing Kagami to admit he could’ve stared with a little less intensity. 

He looked at the redhead, mumbling a “We done yet?”, to which he answered with a nod of the chin towards the old man. He looked at his screen and suddenly looked way more interested.

“Separatists, uh? Kind of at disadvantage on this map, man.”

“Damn, didn’t know anyone still played Battlefront these days around.” He gave him a lopsided surprised smile.

“I could tell you the same.” He answered, frankly grinning now. 

He changed his display window when they got their grades back. While Kagami was satisfied with his results, his neighbor contently slouched on his seat, pulling his hands behind his head in sign of excessive pride.

“Kinda cheated here; easy to have a perfect score when I used to have Law as my major. But, you know, still fucking scored that shit.” 

He had no idea someone could look so smug about that, but there the guy was, legs crossed, unbearably happy with himself. He didn’t have time to retort anything sassy because he was reaching for something in his back pocket and sliding it across the table.

“Here are the notes from the beginning of the week I’d told you about. I think she’s creating some shared Google Docs if you’re interested.”

“Oh.” Taken aback by the fact that this seemingly too-cool-for-anyone dude acted upon his words, it was the only thing he could come up with.

“Now that this is taken care of” His grin grew into a manic smile, white teeth contrasting with dark skin, “why don’t you treat me to lunch? I’m kind of broke right now and I just saved you some work so why don’t you save me some money, uh?”

Of course it wasn’t going to be free. Damn.

“We’d never planned this…” He sighed. ‘Hand the key and we’re good.”

He did as asked and took the opportunity to vigorously shake his hand.

“Nice to help each other dude. Aomine Daiki, pleasure to be a nice pain in the ass.”


	2. Where you don't want to know all of your friends' interests

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I figured out it'd be nicer to post the updates on Fridays, I hope you're having a nice week.

Walking next to him, Kagami took his time to really make his mind about what he knew of the guy: he oozed self-confidence and suffisance, at the same time emanating some insufferable vibes as well as some soothing potential. He looked like the type of guy you could either throw a punch at or just chill out and have a nice time with; or maybe both.  
He was unbelievably attractive, he had to give him that, checking every bullet point lists Kagami could have ever made about what his weak points in men were. The thing was that he also checked his absolute no-go: he was a lover boy. Not that Kagami wasn’t the type to decline a one time offer, he just didn’t like the idea of being another trophy anyone could’ve bragged about.  
Well, there also was another issue; he didn’t even know if the man was interested in blokes and, after all, he shouldn’t even have been thinking about that, he barely knew him.

He had to ask him something though.

“Hey, dude, Aomine?” He spoke up, shoulder bumping against his.  
Aomine barely turned his head towards him and hummed in expectation.  
“This hair color of yours, it’s a dye isn’t it?”  
Before he got any verbal answer, he could see the scowl on his face and the grumble that came right after from his mouth.  
“Am I asking you when you’re thinking on dying your ugly-ass-roots, fiery asshat? uh?”  
That...seemed like an appropriate answer. Kagami let out a genuine small laugh, taken aback by the man’s sass abilities.  
“So, I’m buying you lunch, and then what?”  
“First things first, we get the food, we get back to Momoi and eat; then we’ll see.”

Kagami didn’t have time to ponder over the Momoi part as they grabbed their tray and started taking sandwich after sandwich, glancing at each other, and silently putting more and more, waiting for the other to stop. Turning into a full challenge, they had to be stopped by the cook when she spotted their food mountain. Not paying attention to the low grumble of mecontent students behind them, he followed Aomine between the tables, heading straight towards the girl he’d spotted him with earlier the same week.

She turned her head as Aomine slid his tray next to her seat and sagged on his own.

“Hey, you.” Turning her head towards him, she continued, gently smiling. “And who do we have here?”

Kagami hesitated for a second before seating in front of her, awkwardly smiling, and not really knowing how to introduce himself. Aomine took care of it before he could think of an answer.

“He’s my new slave, Satsuki, bound our contract by sealing the devil pact : missed classes against free food.”

Covering her mouth with her hand, she turned towards Taiga and immediately told him that he really, really shouldn’t have done that, and that he should instead get away from him before Aomine sucked his entire soul out of him. 

The entire situation seemed a little unreal to him so he did what he was capable of: he started eating, gathering some composure.  
“I’m Kagami Taiga, we’re in the same extra curricular Law class...and...well...it seems I’m indebted to him now.” Sheepishly smiling, he was testing the waters, wondering how he should act around these people he knew nothing about.  
“Ah, don’t say stuff like that Kagamin.” He raised an eyebrow at the nickname. “You seem like the type of guy who can put up a fight and Dai-chan really needs to be put back to his place.” Tilting her head to the side, her gentle tone did nothing to cover up her invitation to annoy her...friend?  
“Don’t call me like that in public Satsuki.” Aomine interjected, seemingly irked as well by the pet name.  
“So, you’re the guy he told me about? The, I quote, dude who seems to at least be less of a bother than the others?”  
He lurched to the side, glaring at her to stop talking.  
Kagami huffed, feeling more and more at ease with them, for a reason he couldn’t really pinpoint. Maybe it was the fact that they seemed to feed on taunting each other in a very honest way he hadn’t witnessed in anyone for a while.  
Deciding to join in the mood, he entered their game.  
“I guess? He must have said that since I didn’t comment of his propension to not listen to his class”  
Bending forward, Aomine waved his sandwich up and down, judging him, and mainly sending crumbs everywhere.  
“Like you’re any better.”  
“You were playing Awakening without even bothering hiding!” He replied, snorting.  
“What about you and Battlefront?”  
Both of them had their chests tucked against the table, ready to fight over who was the biggest nerd when Momoi’s face lit up.  
“Oh! Battlefront? Ok.” Grabbing Aomine by the arm, she shook him a little, frankly smiling. “That’s definitely some nice guy potential we have here, right Daiki?”  
Slouching back against his chair, he groaned what was supposed to be some kind of mild-approval.  
“Well, it’s very nice to meet you, Kagamin; don’t mind him, he’s an ungrateful brat.”  
The starking contrast between both of them, her, pink-haired, soft looking and gently smiling, and him, grumpy, dark skin, dark hair, was so unlikely it made him want to wholeheartedly laugh.  
“Don’t flatter yourself; you are the most tolerable guy around.” The blue-haired man said, looking in the distance as if it dreaded him to admit that, making Momoi knowingly smile and Kagami instantly reply.

“I can’t say the same for you…”  
“You know, there are plenty of empty tables around if you want.” He answered, annoyed.  
“I should maybe sit at another table after all then, if I’m meant to have lunch with someone who can’t even keep his characters alive in Fire Emblem.” Kagami retorted, while Aomine made his knee bounce, clearly starting to be fed up with how the events were turning.  
Momoi laughed, enjoying the constant back and forth between them all, before she leant forward Daiki, frowning at him.  
“Aomine-kun, have you even slept at all last night? You look like you’ve been through hell.” She asked, looking a tad worried.  
“That’s none of your business, I don’t need another mom.” He answered sullenly.  
From his table’s side, Kagami couldn’t help but notice how handsome the both of them were and how close they seemed. From their dynamics, they had to be together, for sure, and they made a nice bickering couple, certainly making people envious. He was a little too, if he had to be honest, as all of his attempts at non-platonic relationships had been absolute disasters.  
Smiling at his tray, he asked :  
“So, how long have you been together?”  
The two of them looked at each other for an instant before Aomine’s face contorted like he’d just eaten a whole bag of citrus and Momoi burst out laughing, a hand on her chest.  
Confused, he added:  
“What? Did I miss something?”  
“Together? Do you mean, together in a sexual, or even worse, romantic way? You’re sick man; I’d rather die than going out with her! She’s like an annoying sister I can’t get rid of. Being with someone like her would be simple suicide.” Aomine retorted, deeply insulted.  
“Make up your mind, idiot, a few seconds ago I was your mom! Damn. I won’t even comment on the rest of it, I’d be the perfect girlfriend, and you’re just too much of an ass for anyone to put up with you.” Looking back at Kagami, she went on. “Listen, we’ve known each other since we’re kids, and believe me, seeing him puke everywhere every time we took the car or seeing him –“ She started with a mischievous smile before she got cut off by her disgruntled friend.  
“Satsuki! Don’t you go on, old hag!”  
Not minding one bit the threatening tone he had taken, she continued unfolding childhood memories.  
“Come on, you were a very cute kid, with those round cheeks; running around with your net, hoping to catch cicadas and crayfishes when we went to your aunt’s country house.”  
“Stop right now or you won’t live to see another day.” He said, menacing her with his sandwich, even though he couldn’t help the fondness in his eyes.  
“The point is” Waving her hand towards her friend to make him shut up even before he’d opened his mouth. “Aomine-kun’s potential appeal to me is close to the absolute zero.”  
She closed her eyes, scrunching her nose at the thought passing by in her mind.  
“Can you imagine me having to deal with being in a polyamorous relationship between you, me and your gravure idols? Oh god.”  
“Your what?” Kagami frowned, distraught.  
“Every man has his sweet dreams, you know.” He answered, shrugging his shoulders; seemingly more uneasy talking about gravure magazines than cute childhood antiques.  
“I don’t want to know more; please.” He reacted, bowing his head, disgruntled and trying to focus on opening the rest of his lunch.  
Aomine sighed, feeling misunderstood, but lifted his head up again as soon as his friend spoke again.  
“So, what about you then?” Momoi crossed her fingers under her chin, smiling once again.  
“What about me?” Kagami asked, confused. “Do I enjoy gravure magazines?” He started moving his hands in front of him, defending himself. “No, no! That’s not one of my hobbies!”  
“No, I mean” She started, laughing again, “We’ve been super rude, tell us more about you; what brings you here?”  
Scratching the back of his neck, he thought of a way to simply explain it.  
“I’m a madman doing a double degree, Law and English, for some reasons that would take far too long to explain during a lunch break and even more as first contact, you know; so let’s just say I’m in my second year and I can’t wait for it to be over. I’m planning on going back to the States after and take a small job so I can save money and enter the chef formation I’ve wanted to do for a while now.”  
Aomine leaned in, eyes shining.  
“The States!?”  
“My parents work there, and I used to live with them as well for a few years when I was younger before moving here and entering this university.”  
“But” Momoi interrupted, questioning “Why didn’t you enter the formation right away?”  
Kagami cleared his throat, looking aside, not wanting to divulge too much too quickly, knowing all too well being honest didn’t always turn to his benefit.  
“I made a deal with my father I’d study these things before launching myself in such a, I quote, futureless job.”  
He shrugged, as her eyebrows knitted close and Aomine’s scowl turned into a full one.  
“The hell’s that shit, man?”  
Momoi clicked her tongue, shooting him a peremptory look and prompting him to stop pushing further.  
“So I’m just getting along with this, and I spend my free time cooking and playing video games like usual college dudes do I guess?”  
“Sounds just like Daiki if you replace cooking by porn magazines, in my humble opinion.” She looked at him, smirking, and fully knowing she’d roasted him at the perfect moment and that he wouldn’t have a comeback. Proof was Aomine was staring at her, jaw hanging loose, looking exceptionally offended.  
“Oi! That’s not…” He cut himself. She really had a point. “Ok. Yes.”  
“I, myself, play a bit, but not as much as you I guess; though I enjoy it.”  
“What about you then?” Kagami asked.  
“Studying for a Psychology degree and aiming for more studies after that; I still have a long way to go with college life, though it definitely is worth the shot.” She’d crossed her hands, thumbs turned outwards in a very professional gesture she surely had trained herself to have.  
Aomine was tapping the table to a rhythm only known to himself, speaking up as soon as he’d sensed Momoi had finished her laius.  
“Well, since no one’s pushing me for answers, I’m still gonna tell you. I’d started a full package Law degree last year but it fed me up, between the boring classes and the phonies around, I just dropped it and changed it for a History one.”  
“He’s gonna end up being a teacher, please. I’ll pray for the children’s poor souls.” She cut in.  
Shrugging, he went on, unfazed.  
“I’m not what you call a Grade A student so I kept the extra curricular Law classes to have better average grades. That’s why you’re seeing my sorry ass in your boring as fuck course.”  
Kagami nodded, fully agreeing at the thought of their mood-killer teacher.  
“Not that classes small talk isn’t my jam - actually, it isn’t - but I have a few questions for you Kagami.”  
Aomine waited for his focus to be on him before asking them.  
“Okay so we need to talk about videogames; that’s the first thing. The other is: what the fresh fuck is going on with these eyebrows?” He said, devilishly smirking.  
Taiga instantly stood up, ready to fire back with a snarky comment about Aomine’s whole dumb face when Momoi sighed, raising her hand.  
“Let’s drop this, please, we’ve had enough brawls this week Dai-chan.”  
The pet name was enough to irk the guy and make him shut up, as Kagami sat back again, poorly satisfied with her comeback.  
“I’m just gonna act like I hadn’t heard this okay, jackass?” Not awaiting any answer from the guy actively pouting, arms braced against his chest, he went on. “I guess you could say I’m an all around player; you’ll see me nerding over Civilization as well as Star Wars games or Smash Brawl, I don’t know.” He saw Momoi’s face light up as he mentioned the last game. “You could come over to my place one of these days if you want to have a session.”  
Aomine slammed his hands on the table, dropping the sulky kid act and suddenly looking extremely wild, if not a little afraid.  
“Oh no, dude, don’t do that to yourself; you don’t know what she’s capable of.”  
Looking between his scared face and her fake innocent smile, he waited for an explanation.  
“You haven’t seen her playing Zelda; she rips you in half with her fucking fireballs and you can’t even get close to this bitch.”  
“Language, Daiki. You’re just bad.” She retorted, smugly.  
“Is that it?” Kagami replied, frowning amusingly. “Wait ‘til you see my Ike.”  
“Well.” The other guy started, coming back with a sufficient head jerk. “You haven’t encountered my Snake.”

Pushing his tray aside, Momoi took her most serious face and declared:  
“That’s it. We’re doing this. Saturday. My place. Bring your controllers and, Kagami, the food; I take care of the drinks and kicking your sorry asses.”  
She leant back, biting her lip at the challenge while Aomine cracked his fingers in anticipation and Kagami shot them the widest and truest smile he’d given anyone in a long time.

Finding two individuals being capable of getting instantly fired up by a Super Smash Bros Brawl tournament actually gave Kagami some hope that some kind of social miracle was maybe happening to him.


	3. No Country For Old Gamers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've had the chapters with me for almost a year but there's been so much going on in my life that forgot to post it

The nerd-themed night hadn’t gone as expected for Kagami. It looked more like a full wrecking plan coming from Momoi; Aomine had been right, and the redhead wasn’t used to sneaky strategies like the ones she used. When it came to fighting the other asshole, it had been more even, both of them winning some of their brackets before getting smashed by the satisfied-looking girl sitting between them.

Kagami had brought chips and tomato-cheese sauce dip as a snack, but it turned out to look like two poor kids munching over their own defeat as Momoi handed them beer after beer to comfort them. Surely, Aomine had had to stop the other guy from punching him after he’d killed him for the third time in less than ten minutes with his - as Kagami put it - overpowered move; but aside from that fact, the night had been a pleasant one.

Apart from the internal tears he’d shed and the overwhelming feeling of defeat that had settled itself in his heart, he realized he’d spent a great night as he rode the night bus back home. Of course, Aomine had an ego that filled the whole room; but Momoi was a great girl to be around with. She was funny, witty, and she knew how to make the guy shut up in two seconds tops. Most of all, it had given Kagami the desire to act boisterous again, roaring with laughter at times, for the most stupid things; and this was certainly different from the evenings he spent with his classmates. It sure felt weird to go from virile men nights, chugging beers in front of Fifa, never letting go of their pride, and a night like this: utter defeat and small connections building themselves around what these guys would’ve called a childish game.

He thought that, maybe, his next call with Tatsuya wouldn’t be as depressing as they both thought it ought to be.

Sitting at his desk, snack placed in front of him as he browsed various websites in hopes of finding a counter strategy that didn’t involve switching characters, he found his mind drifting away from its task and thinking about the whole night.  
There was something immensely different about Aomine when you saw him away from public gaze. He had something more genuine about him, borderline childish in some way. Of course, from what he’d already grasped, he constantly acted like an ungrateful brat going through his teenage crisis; but what he’d witnessed tonight resembled more some guy acknowledging he might not be the coolest dude around at every given time.  
Maybe that came from the fact he’d smashed a snack in Momoi’s hair before chugging half a bottle in a go when he realized he wouldn’t win at all against her; that was fairly pathetic to see.  
The issue was that he was starting to see the image he’d constructed of him slowly crumble: one of a contemptible hot man he could’ve sold his soul for a night with but to whom he wouldn’t have since he was an arrogant asshole. Of course, he was one, but not in the despicable way he’d initially considered it. He’d begun to see in between the facade, and his damnable looks were being partially uplifted by the fact he was discovering someone actually nice behind them.

Stretching on his seat, he moved from it and got ready for bed, still pondering over their meeting. Maybe those two oddballs could become friends, find a way into his life; and, if he wished it, Aomine could become more  
_____________

The end of his week-end followed its usual path: rough sleepiness he shook off with a refreshing run around the campus, household care and homework, sprinkled with the light nausea following the ingestion of too much dipping sauce - a sensation Kagami was used to, though.

He woke up a little before his alarm on Monday, coming out of a dreamy haze to a text from Himuro.  
“Saturday Magicka night if you don’t feel like mingling with hot-blooded college dudes?”*  
This simple gesture made him smile as he confirmed the possibility. The mere action of thinking about one of Kise’s parties already gave him a headache. He’d find a way out of this.

Monday mornings also meant attending this dreadful class. When he entered the amphitheater, he didn’t even bother trying sitting in the front rows since he knew he could find the notes online. Propping himself almost at the last row, he looked around for Aomine without finding him.

One of his classmates from English Literature spotted him from the corridor and barged in as the class hadn’t started. He stuck his ass on Kagami’s table and grinned at him.  
“So, Saturday. You’re bringing anything?”  
He looked at his expectant face and quickly scanned through his poor list of excuses.  
“I’m.” He fumbled on his words when an idea struck him. “My grandmother called this weekend and she’s coming over Saturday; I couldn’t make it any other way, I’m sorry dude, next time ok?”  
Sheepishly smiling, he hoped he’d believe him.  
“Oh man, good luck with that…”  
He looked genuinely sorry. Yes. His lie had went through.  
“Well, more booze and food for us then, but next time you’re coming!” He concluded, getting up again and waving him goodbye at the exact same moment Aomine walked passed him, watching the guy go.  
Laying his hand on his shoulder, he leaned from behind him, breath hot against his neck.  
“What’s going on man?”  
Kagami waited for his classmate to be far away enough - and for him to act chill enough - to speak up, as the other slumped down next to him.  
“Just got my way out of a party I didn’t want to go to.”  
“Kise’s party?” Aomine instantly replied.  
“...Yes? You know him?” Kagami frowned, afraid he’d just fucked up.  
“To put it short, we were in the same high school and even though he quickly gets on my nerves, it’s always nice to see him once in a while, and no one can pass on the opportunity of a good party.” He was staring at the ceiling before craning his neck to look at him. “Why don’t you wanna come?”  
“I promised my bro I’d call him Saturday.” That was only half a lie.  
“Can’t you do it any other day?” He replied, slightly frowning.  
“He lives in the States and he’s got a pretty busy schedule so that’s the only moment we managed to find, so, no, not coming this time.”  
“Ah, I get it; but it still sucks. No way I can convince you?” He tried again, lightly smiling.  
“Another time, okay?” Kagami smiled back, opening his computer as the teacher started speaking.  
Aomine clicked his tongue and watched him for a few seconds more before taking his console out of his bag.

Half an hour later, the redhead’s sole support was the hand holding his head from tumbling on his desk as the dark skinned man groaned approximately every minute in despair. Suddenly, it turned into a grumble as he murmured to Kagami:

“ Do you think that if we made him drink two packs of RedBull and a coffeepot he’d be a little more energetic?”  
Taiga snorted in his fist, trying to cover up his laughter.  
“No, he’d only pass out; his body can only bear decaffeinated tea I’m sure.”  
Sliding his hands over his face, Aomine shook his head.  
“You’re probably right…”  
“Of course I am.” Setting his hand aside, he turned towards him. “By the way, since we’re not overloaded with work yet, do you want to come over and play at my house after class tonight?”  
“Why not.” He mumbled while yawning.  
“You think Momoi can come?” He added, pleased about the idea of having her at home too.  
“Don’t even think on trying a move on her, dude.” Aomine directly stopped him in his tracks, as if it was the only logical conclusion to get to.  
“Not my type, not interested.” He replied, discreetly shooting his hands up. “Chill man; seriously.”  
“She’s got big boobs!” Aomine added, following whatever weird path his brain had taken.  
“I don’t care about big boobs!” Kagami answered loud enough, receiving weird looks from students around them.  
Genuinely looking confused, Aomine murmured a “...How? I don’t get it.”  
“Of course you don’t.” He sighed. This discussion was getting too wild for him. ‘Well then, can she?”  
“I don’t think so, she told me something about working on some paper.”  
“We’ll do this another time then, that’s not an issue. Do you still want to come over?”  
The moment of agitation had seemed to pass, leaving Aomine calm again.  
“Depends on which game you offer...”  
“What about Portal 2 ?” Safe pick, possible coop mode, universal love for this game...except if you were even more intense about Half-Life.  
“I’m in then.” He said, scrunching his nose with a wide smile. “Do you live far away?”  
“It’s about ten minutes away from here, I live in the campus’ residences.”  
“Sweet. You’re lucky; I live like an hour away from here, it’s a pain in the ass.”  
Silence stretched for a few seconds before he added:  
“So, when and where should we meet then?”  
“Let’s say in front of the main entrance at five. Is it fine?”  
“Yeah sure.”  
Both silently nodding, they definitely gave up on even partly listening to their class; Aomine resuming his game as Kagami followed the blonde’s notes appearing on the Google Docs, closely following the teacher’s words.

The rest of the day was a dull one, his classmates pulling his leg during lunch time about the party, one of them even trying to coerce him into bringing his grandmother to the decadent night planned. He put up with them, and as he thought about it, it made him realize why it was surprisingly easy to bear his new acquaintance’s presence.  
He got to see Momoi on campus between two classes, waving at each other and confirming that she had a huge paper due the next day on… something that sounded way too intricate for him.  
As he spotted Aomine next to his building when the afternoon came to its end, he felt relieved about the idea that he was simply going to enjoy a nice evening where he could maybe rest if the other didn’t whine too much.  
Walking to his place, Aomine’s hands in his pockets and Kagami’s fiddling with his bag’s straps, Aomine turned towards the redhead and asked him out of the blue:  
“Why didn’t you directly join the chef formation?”  
Sighing, he didn’t feel like breaking the light mood surrounding them.  
“Sure you wanna know about it? I don’t want to be a bummer.”  
“Your eyebrows are awful enough to bring anyone down; come on, shoot it, I’ve survived them, I can go through any kind of drama now.”  
“My dad is a pain in the ass, he’s one of those kinds of CEOs who think money is the key to happiness and success is everything. Hence the Law degree I don’t give a crap about.” He gave him a ‘you know damn right what I’m talking about’ look. “I think he hopes I’ll have a sudden revelation about being a lawyer and drop everything he deems unworthy of a ‘respectable man’. The English degree is the guarantee I’ll figure my way out once I get back to Los Angeles, whatever small job I have to take at first.”  
“Not cool…”  
“Can’t say I didn’t warn you; but, yeah, whatever, he’s never in Japan. I basically live alone and he can’t stop me from cooking when he’s a continent away.” He said laughing a bit nervously while running a hand in his hair. “That’s why I can play until five in the morning, or bring friends whenever I want to; I mean, I could host parties if I wanted to.” He kept silent for a few seconds. “Which I don’t.”  
Both of them laughed at that statement, Aomine nodding, leaving Kagami with the feeling he wouldn’t either if he had a flat for himself.

“Speaking of parties, there’s a pal of mine - not Kise I swear - who’s having one at his place in two weeks, you could come if you want to; he wouldn’t mind.” He suggested after taking one of his hands out of his pocket and bumping it on Kagami’s shoulder.  
Glancing at him, he waited for the trap.  
“I swear, he’s way more chill. People are usually respectful and most of the time there’s always a console ready for anyone who’s willing to play. You can even get a premium spot if you act nicely enough.”  
Taking the bait, because Kagami’s a weak man for games and alcohol at the same time, he replied:  
“Are homemade mini-pizzas a good enough special favor?”  
Aomine turned on his heels, rejoicing about the simple idea of getting to freely eat pizza, when he stopped midtrack.  
“Wait. Would there even be any left by the time you arrive?” he said, frowning.  
“Half of it at least, I’d say.” It was an honest and direct answer, accompanied by a small shrug.  
“Except if you make a fuckton of them, there won’t be enough for you to get you a direct way to the gaming room.”  
Bribing him, that’s what he was doing. Kagami grunted, annoyed.  
”There won’t be any for you if you keep on bugging me like that, moron.”  
On that, he stepped into his residence alleyway and let the door open for the other to walk past him.  
“Straight ahead, it’s the last door.”  
Walking in front of him, the redhead noticed the rolling gait way Aomine always seemed to walk in, alluring hips loose enough to silently tell the world he didn’t care one bit about any of them. Smiling to himself, he realized there really was nothing about that guy that wasn’t infuriating. Once in front of it, he leaned against the wall, head thrown against it at the same time, lazily smiling at him as if he thought he was about to discover some great secret.  
Clearing his throat, Kagami opened the door and walked in, taking off his shoes. He was halfway through the process when he heard the other man whistle behind his back.  
“What?” He grunted.  
“Nah, that’s a fine place you have there, all neat and nice.” The worse was that his tone seemed honestly surprised, really not helping the redhead’s irritation.  
“Of course it is, what did you expect?”  
“I don’t know dude; some messy place with dirty clothes scattered all over the place and leftovers on the table.” He continued with a smirk.  
“Go to hell.” He groaned. “And take off your shoes at the same time.”  
Straightening up, Aomine took the opportunity to sling an arm around his shoulder, smiling, letting it there an instant too long, its presence unnerving the redhead.  
“I was only teasing you. Why don’t you show me around?”  
Kagami’s flat clearly was spacious enough - if not too much - for a student living alone. His living room had space for a couch and a large television, accompanied by diverse game consoles. It was separated from the kitchen by a counter and connected to the other rooms by a corridor.  
He showed him the guest room, where he could have had friends over if he ever wanted to, or a roommate if he wasn’t so reluctant into letting a complete stranger moving in his place. He indicated the bathroom right next to his bedroom before letting him in.  
His bedroom was nicely lit by a wide window giving onto a small patch of grass, his privacy protected by a few trees; the desk placed next to his bed, computer surrounded by books and game sleeves.  
“Dude, your bed is huge.” He said, eyes wide and obviously envious. “You could fit, like, three people in it!” Kagami corrected himself, he looked like a child in front of a Christmas tree surrounded by gifts. “At least you’re not cramped when you bring a girl-“ Noticing Kagami’s uncomfortable face the second it lasted, he immediately correcting himself. “- whatever shakes your boat, you know; when you bring someone back home.”  
Catching the red-haired man incredulous look, he chuckled. “My point is that I may inquire your timetable and hire movers to take this bed back home.”  
And then, as simply as that, he walked toward his desk as if nothing had happened and inspected the displayed games. Was Kagami missing something? He was confused. Had Aomine just swept aside any confusion about his sexuality? Did he have the best gaydar around? Mind scrambling on itself, and trying to get some composure back, he jolted a little when he saw the other staring at him.  
Before he’d start blushing from uneasiness, he found a way to entirely change the subject.  
“Come on, get out from this room before you decide to take a nap in my bed and I have to hit you so you’ll fucking leave. What do you want to drink?”  
“Who cares? I’m starving.”  
And, as simply as that, Aomine let go of the game he had in his hands and directly walked towards the kitchen, disappearing out of his sight.  
Not the time to think about his sexuality, or Aomine, or anything concerning them both. Not the place either. Squaring up his shoulders, Kagami closed his eyes and sighed.  
“What do you mean you’re starving?” He barked from behind. “We ate a few hours ago!”  
“Like hell you’re not hungry too.” He heard from the corridor, annoyance - but also comprehension - creeping back at full strength.  
“I am a growing man who needs a proper amount of food to be in a healthy shape.” His words were asserted, giving the impression he was delivering a message he’d given many times before.  
Catching up with Aomine in the kitchen, his pal proudly stood in front of him, dead set on his decision.  
“So am I! And as a guest you owe me satisfaction so I get out from here happy and content.”  
Grabbing a sink towel and rolling it on itself, he slapped him with it.  
“Guests aren’t supposed to be rude so you’re gonna stop this right now or you’re just gonna leave before even sitting your ass on anything here.”  
Smirking, the blue-haired man hopped on the counter, and tilting his head to the side, adding a nice smile to it, he spoke in a soft voice.  
“Come on, you’re not going to let me die here, right? Just a little something.”  
Rubbing his face, Kagami let out a long suffering sigh.  
“French toast and you shut up.”  
“French toast and I shut up, for now; that’s a deal.”  
Shooting him a lethal look, Aomine winked back at him and slid off the counter, walking back into the living room and letting himself fall on the couch.  
The whole time Kagami spent taking care of their snack, he could hear the faint whine of the guy laying down a few meters away. Actually, those infuriating noises didn’t stop until his mouth was filled with food. He started being a pain in the ass not long after when they started playing Portal 2 and he kept throwing him in acidic pits. They’d moved into Kagami’s room, leaving to his guest his bed and his portable computer in exchange of the promise he would get off of it as soon as they’d stop playing. Of course, it ended looking more like Kagami throwing Aomine under the turrets’ fire and him being thrown into deadly environments whether than an actual cooperation to resolve the rooms’ dilemmas. During that time, Aomine spoke up once to ask him if he didn’t even feel lonely in this place, to which Kagami feinted being absorbed by the game to elude the question, and just hummed in reply. Not pushing further, he used the slight moment of hesitation in his gameplay to kill him once again.  
They kept playing for a while before agreeing on taking a break; Aomine didn’t look eager to leave, and to be fairly honest, Kagami didn’t mind keeping him around a little more. He liked having him there, but there was no way he’d tell him. Firstly, it led to obvious things he wasn’t about to disclose; and secondly, if he admitted that, the navy-haired man would hog it and never leave it again.  
They laughed around for a while, Aomine lazily rolling on his back as he tried to find the will to leave. It took him a solid fifteen minutes before he managed to slip out of it as the redhead was getting his desk ready for some schoolwork.  
He walked with him to the door, supporting his weight on its frame, smiling at Aomine who was waving at him as he disappeared into the falling night.


	4. We need to talk about Aomine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can you BELIEVE it took me a year or so to get the fourth chapter corrected ? My friend and I got caught up in the mess of adult lives so HERE GOES the fourth chapter, and she's currently correcting the fifth one. Take care everyone, sorry to post this once the fandom's dead lmao; it seems to be my curse.

It was Friday and Kagami had been mildly depressed over the past few days. He really didn’t like living alone as it brought back too many uncomfortable memories. He hated the silence that filled every single corner of the rooms, the stillness of the air. This state of mind had grew so hard on him he didn’t feel like doing anything other than staying in his bed during all the weekend and ordering food online.  He sent a text message saying “ _ not feeling 2 well if youre up for a Diablo over the weekend I wouldnt spit on it. _ ”as he was getting back to his place, walking deliberately slowly, when he felt an arm being thrown around his shoulder and warm air on his cheek.

  
“Hey dumbass.” A supposed-to-be-bored but still interested voice spoke up.

Aomine.

“Hey. What’s up?” Kagami drawled out, not in the mood to smile or crack a joke.   
“Nah, it’s nothing, I heard that you’d declined to go to my asshole friend’s party, but I’m sure I heard wrong.” Aomine said as he scratched his ear while walking backwards.   
“Actually, there’s nothing wrong with your ears, you can stop picking them now.” He sighed.   
“That’s rude. Wait.” He stopped in his tracks and did the same for the red hair as he hung on the shoulder he’d been draped around few seconds before. “Why aren’t you going?”   
“Well, I just don’t feel like it, I’d better turn in I guess.”   
“Fuck, that’s too bad, I really hoped eating mini pizzas, seeing you wasted and making fun of you.” Aomine sighed while looking in the distance, starting to walk again next to him.   
“Next time then.” Kagami shrugged.   
“Since you’re talking about a next time, there’s a party at Nagisa’s next week, you better come!” His eyes had gotten their brightness back and he was staring at him.   
“That’s a deal, I guess..? Can I even say no?”   
“Nope. Hey. Give me your phone.” He pointed to Kagami’s pocket.   
“Hum? Okay?”   
  


Kagami took his phone from his pocket and hesitantly gave it to Aomine, wondering what he was going to do with it. He went in his text box and sent one quickly. Another phone chirped.   
“Great, I correctly typed my number in. I’ll send you texts and pictures tonight so you’ll see what you miss and it’ll even maybe feel a little like you were there.”

That was at the same time sweet and creepy. Kagami took his phone back, making it turn between his between his palm and fingers, wondering what he was going to receive.

“That’s nice of you, though, if you want, you can come over during the weekend, we still haven’t finished Portal since you kept throwing me in the void or the acid pit all the time.” Kagami smiled for the first time since he’d gotten off class.   
“You asked for it and-“ Aomine started ranting.   
“I. Did. Not!” He cut him off by emphasizing on each word.   
“Whatever helps you sleep at night.” He answered, waving at the other as he was opening his mouth to bark something. “I have to see my grandparents this weekend; I’ll be out of town between tomorrow and Sunday night, so no throwing you anywhere mortal in the next few days.”   
“That’s fine man.” Kagami stopped walking, scratching awkwardly his neck. “Well, I’m leaving you there.”

He didn’t know what to do. He was confused. He’d gotten from depressed, to a little hopeful about this strange annoying guy coming to play at his place over the weekend, to empty again. He looked at him. “Have a nice night for the both of us while I’m resting.” The corners of his lips lifted a little up as Aomine was smiling at him. He patted his cheek like you would confort a child – which made the red hair angry but at the same time he wasn’t  _ that _ riled up because of an infantilizing gesture.

“Don’t you worry; you’ll get a dutiful report every time my drunk brain will remember it.”

  
Kagami sat in front of his computer after making himself a – very large – bowl of noodles and vegetables and launched Magicka. He’d gotten a text half-an-hour earlier from Aomine, saying “ _9pm, got my second beer, the music is shitty and requires at least four shots and two beers. On my way to fulfill this requirement.”_  He had huffed and answered: “ _What kind of music can it be so you have to inebriate yourself a lot and quickly?_ ”

He was eager to play again after learning that the second opus came out not too long before. He loved the way he was given the possibility to create weapons made out of strange combinations and how difficult it was even if the plot was light and funny. He’d not been playing for a very long time when he got a call on Skype.

Pausing his music, he answered only to hear his friend’s voice.   
“Hey Taiga.” A peaceful voice said.   
“Himuro, what’s up?”   
“You haven’t been online for a while with your classes and everything. I saw your profile showing up in the corner of my screen, telling me my little brother was about to lose a night of sleep on Steam again, so here I am.”   
“Yeah, you must’ve seen I’m on Magicka. That shit’s still cool as fuck.”   
“I bet you saw the trailers for the second one right?”

Kagami hummed while exploding a few trolls with a meteor explosion. He still knew the bindings by heart.

“I wish I could join your game but I’m kind of studying right now, I’m not going to stay for a very long time.”   
“That’s fine dude.”

His phone buzzed next to his keyboard. He paused the game to open it.    
“ _ it’s po p songs remixed in an EDM mashup. Livin g h ell.” _ __   
_ “How much have you drank so far?” _ __   
_ “Got three out of the first four shots out of the way. Imayoshi’s coming over with two others.” _ __   
_ “Wow. How much do you intend to drink?” _ _   
_ __ “Enough for Momoi to scowl at me in the morning. A good party closure y’know.”

“So, how’s college?”   
“It’s boring. I should’ve played Starcraft 2 and made a career out of it.”

Himuro laughed on his side.   
“The English classes are very nice, all of them. But, I swear to god I want to punch my dad right in the face for this law class.”   
“You’ll do that after getting your degree I guess.”

His phone buzzed again. This time, there was a blurry picture of what seemed to be a tall guy standing over Momoi accompanied by a little note. “ _ fucking imayoshi he never gets the clue, hey, should I punch him?” _

Kagami was about to answer when he received another image. It was the same guy, curled up on the ground, Momoi still next to him. “ _ nevermind, momoi hit the balls. that’s my grill” _

He started laughing, picturing the scene, appreciating Aomine’s hugest typo.   
“What’s going on?”   
“Haha, it’s nothing, it’s a pal from my law class and who’s live messaging me his party.”   
“Your law class doesn’t only have downsides after all then?”   
“He’s nice, he just sent me a picture of his best friend hitting a dude’s balls and he made the funniest typo. Well, he’s kinda an asshole but that’s fine.” He was still laughing a little at that point.   
“Hum, I see.”

Kagami quickly typed a reply “ _ a grill right? nice, he’s she fulminating enough to have a BBQ? _ ”   
“Well, you seem better than earlier, it’s cool since I’m not free for that Diablo game. When did you get a higher ranking than me by the way?”   
“I don’t know, maybe last week?”   
“That’s low, I’m working hard and you take profit of it.”   
“No shame bro.”   
“What happened then?”   
“Hum?”   
“What lightened your mood?”   
“Oh, well, Magicka, a good meal and Aomine’s texts – I mean, the law class dude – helped.”   
“It’s nice, I’m happy you’ve met someone you get along with.”   
“Getting along is a big word, I tried to punch him after he killed me for the umpteenth time in the Portal coop. He’s a big mouth with no manners.”   
“That doesn’t seem to bother you that much if you’re laughing that hard when he sends you a text.”

Kagami grunted something unintelligible and passed his level. His phone buzzed again. There was only a blurry picture of what seemed to be Aomine’s arm, followed by a “ _ gimme a break its Friday nigth I can typo”.  _ Another picture came in, a selfie of Aomine with his thumb up and a blond girl next to him, commented with “ _ the boobs dud, look @ the boobsb _ ”. 

Kagami sighed. “ _ Have fun, I’m trying to kill brad the not-vampire so serious business going on for me right now too _ ”   
“What’s going on?”   
“Nothing, he’s just drunk as hell and I think he wanted to show me the chick he’s gonna bang tonight.”

Another message.    
“ _ it’s no fun she’s dumb as hell imean she thinks sloths r mythical creatrus _ ”   
“ _ wtf? _ ” Kagami answered, smiling at his phone again.   
“ _ dk man imam go n dance w momoi, she has 2 beers in her hands, that meeans one 4 me cya _ ”

Himuro laughed softly, almost a whisper.

“Are you jealous?”   
“No, what the fuck, why would I be?”   
“Easy, I was just teasing. Don’t get riled up. I was just trying to annoy you. And you do seem a little jealous.”   
“Why would I be?”   
“I don’t know? He plays video games and makes you laugh, we’ve mainly been talking about him after thinking about it, it could sound like a potential crush… Is he hot?”   
“I guess. He has a nice ass. And before you start mocking me it was in front of me in the small corridor I couldn’t help it!” Kagami started speaking louder, a blush creeping at the base of his nape and on his cheeks.   
“Ok, so in Taiga-land, I can translate it as ‘he’s hot as fuck, 10/10 would bang’.”   
“I give up. I thought we were going to have a nice chat.”   
“Oh but I’m having a very nice conversation with you.” Himuro frankly laughed that time. “Does he know you’re gay as fuck?”   
“I don’t know, I think. When he went in my room-“   
“He went in your room!?”   
“Shut the fuck up. When he came in my room the other day as I was showing him the place, he started making a comment about how my bed was big enough for me to bring over chicks. But I think I made a strange face and he corrected himself almost immediately, changing it to something like ‘whatever shook my boat’ so I guess he has a big clue.”   
“Well. Nice. At least he seems chill about it.”

Another text came in.   
“ _ damn it woul’ve been nice if youd beenthere. I’m hungry for those minizzas you teasd me abouut. jerk. _ ”

  
“He sent me a sweet thing, he must be wasted.” Kagami then read it out loud.   
“You sure he’s not flirting with you because he really seems to be.”   
“I don’t think so, he’s always like that.”   
“If you say so, don’t push the possibility away though. Listen, I’m sorry, I have to go, Atsushi is calling me to bed, he’s complaining he’s been falling asleep without me these days.”   
“Too much information.”   
“As if. Whatever; take care of yourself. Send me a picture of that Aomine one of these days, and let me fucking take back my Diablo rank before you end up in the zone’s top 10 players.”   
“Move your ass then.” Kagami smiled, refusing to let his record where it was. “Good night.”

Kagami ended the conversation, stretched out his back and quit the game. He was feeling tired. He took his phone and replied “ _ that’s kinda rude, are you only hanging out with me for my food?” _ __   
_ “that wouldnt b worth it, you only fed me 1time, well talk abt that agggain when you’ve mademe lunch” _ __   
_ “why would I do that?” _ __   
_ “if u don’t ill starve myself until u doo” _ __   
_ “go home and sleep” _ _   
_ __ “yes daddy”

Kagami exploded in laughter, reminding himself to not let Aomine forget this wild conversation.

__   
_ “oh lord. how many drinks have you had?” _ __   
_ “idk I jsut asked momo i but by the look on herface, just enough to be way 2 much” _ __   
_ “you’ll never survive going to your grandparents” _ _   
_ __ “then ull help me pass time rite?”

His heart missed a beat, he exhaled and shook his head.

“ _ goodnight dumbass” _

_ “noo,,,” _

He took his clothes off, quickly showered, brushed his teeth, and when he put himself in his bed, a text was waiting for him. It was a picture, not blurry so maybe taken by Momoi.  It was Aomine, a sharpie in one hand, a plastic cup with a grumpy smiley face with…split eyebrows drawn on it in the other. The caption said “ _ Dai-chan told me the beer glass was going to be you until you come up next time. He’s currently arguing with it over why Demon Hunters aren’t too powerful and that he’d be nicer if he had had mini pizzas. I don’t really understand but maybe you’ll do. I’m taking him home now. Good night Kagami-kun  _ _ ☺ _ _.” _

_ _


End file.
